Renovating schools of Raqqa as the new school year begins

Since July 1, the Education Committee of Raqqa Civil Council has rehabilitated a number of schools in the city and its countryside.

The Education Committee, with the support of North Company and Concern Worldwide Organization is working to rehabilitate 24 schools in the city and its countryside, in addition to building three schools in the city which were partially destroyed during the battles between the Global Coalition backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Islamic State (ISIS) in 2017.

The head of the Education Office Ahmad al-Hussein told North-Press that the schools currently being rehabilitated are Oqba Bin Nafea, Hussein Jahid and Ibrahim Hanano. Pointing out those schools were selected, because “they are located in densely populated neighborhoods and there are no other schools there”.

Al-Hussein pointed out that the committee is currently equipping Oqba Bin Nafea School, in terms of fully casting, to be ready by the beginning of the new school year, explaining that the school is located in (al-Thakana neighborhood), which is one of the densest neighborhoods in the city.

While Ibrahim Hanano’s School in Tayyar neighborhood is partially destroyed and the committee is rehabilitating it, he said: “The school was partially destroyed, so we are rebuilding and rehabilitating the destroyed parts to be ready at the beginning of this new school year”.

As for Hussein Jahid School, which is located in al-Romaniya neighborhood, is completely collapsed, so the North Company in collaboration with the Education Committee, worked on rebuilding and rehabilitating it, to be ready by the beginning of the school year.

The committee is also partially renovating seven other schools in the city by repairing doors and windows, and re-equipping health facilities. “We are working to restore the most damaged schools in the city, through the rehabilitation of health facilities,” al-Hussein said.

Regarding the mechanism of selecting schools to be renovated, Youssef Muhammad, the deputy head of Raqqa Education Committee told North-Press that the committee targets the most densely populated areas, which lack schools, “in order to achieve a balanced geographical distribution of schools in the city, to facilitate the movement of students during the School year”.

According to Muhammad, in the past two years, the committee has rented houses in these neighborhoods and used them as schools, “as an emergency solution while waiting for the schools to be reopened”, as most of the schools in Raqqa were destroyed.